"My Pal Trigger" was amiable singing cowboy Roy Rogers'
favorite
film. It's a little better than most of Rogers's Westerns (which is
probably
not saying much!). It's similar to Gene Autry's The Strawberry Roan
(1948),
who stole the film's theme when he switched from Republic to Columbia.
Frank McDonald is the director; it's scripted by Jack Townley and John
K. Butler from a Paul Gangelin story. It tells how Rogers first got to
possess Trigger, his famous trademark horse.

Horse trader Roy Rogers arrives at the fancy Golden Horse
Ranch owned
by the ornery oldster Gabby Kendrick (George 'Gabby' Hayes). Roy meets
again after a two-year absence Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers
who
are ranch hands. He also meets Gabby's beautiful horsewoman daughter
Susan
(Dale Evans), who's riding the prized stallion palomino Golden
Sovereign.
Roy asks Gabby to sire his stallion to his mare to produce a colt, and
he'll give him his mare as a present. Gabby rudely turns him down and
asks
him to leave the premises. That night Sovereign is attempted to be
rustled
by rival rancher Scoville (Jack Holt) and his men but escapes and runs
off to breed with Roy's mare. In the morning Scoville is asked by Gabby
to find his stallion and when he does he shoots Sovereign dead. Roy
encamped
nearby goes over to the dead horse and is soon discovered by the
Kendricks
and blamed for the killing. Roy is arrested and the judge holds him on
a $1,000 bail, which he receives when crooked lawyer Wallace (Al
Bridge)
puts up the bail money but makes Roy sign away ownership to his horse.
The horse comes into possession of Scoville, whom the lawyer was
working
for. Roy has someone mysteriously pay his fine and he is released from
any more court business. Scoville tells Roy that his mare gave birth to
a colt named Trigger as a result of meeting Sovereign that night. Roy
agrees
to be his former horse's trainer and Scoville suckers Gabby into
wagering
his ranch in a race between Scoville's horse and his Golden Empress. If
Scoville's horse can beat Kendrick's best horse then he'll own not only
Gabby's ranch but his prize horse. If Gabby wins, Scoville will forget
about the mortgage and give Gabby ownership of Trigger and the mare.
Roy
has a lot of thinking to do, as he's still mighty sore at the
hard-headed
Gabby. But the mellow Susan and Bob Nolan prevail on him to dump the
race
and get proof that the horse killer was Scoville. It all works out
well;
Gabby in order to make up for mistakenly accusing Roy, presents him
with
Trigger as a gift.